“Training with Takeda Sensei” by Ralph Pettman

“Takeda sensei is arguably the greatest living exponent of the art of aikido. I once asked him what it was like to attack O-Sensei. He said that it was like being hit by lightning, but that there was nothing there. That is how I would describe attacking Takeda sensei!

A while ago Takeda Sensei was perilously ill. He recovered quickly, but he remained for a while weaker than before. Then his strength returned. It did more than return, however. It was a new strength, a more powerful and more dramatic strength that he began to explore in a more spirited, and I believe, more spiritual way. ”